Students are introduced to the basic properties, behavior and detection of black holes through a brief discussion of common conceptions and misconceptions of these exciting objects. They "act out" a way black holes might be detected through their...(View More) interaction with other objects. In this activity, girls represent binary star systems in pairs, walking slowly around one another in a darkened room with each pair holding loops of wire to simulate the gravitational interaction. Most of the students are wearing glow-in-the-dark headbands to simulate stars, some are without headbands to represent black holes, and a small set of the black holes have flashlights to simulate X-ray emission. This activity is part of a series that has been designed specifically for use with Girl Scouts, but the activities can be used in other settings. Most of the materials are inexpensive or easily found. It is recommended that a leader with astronomy knowledge lead the activities, or at least be available to answer questions, whenever possible.(View Less)

In this lesson, students simulate an experiment in which the discovery of dark energy can be made by plotting modern supernova distances on a Hubble Diagram. Data is provided in an Excel spreadsheet (see related resources). In order to complete this...(View More) activity, students should be familiar with Hubble's Law and the concepts of absolute luminosity, apparent luminosity, and Doppler shift (particularly redshift). This activity can be done using either a computer graphing program or manually with graph paper. This lesson is part of the "Cosmic Times" teacher's guide and is intended to be used in conjunction with the 2006 Cosmic Times Poster.(View Less)

In this lesson, students measure the size of several galaxies to reproduce a plot of Hubble's Law. The goal of this lesson is to give students the chance to simulate the process that led to the notion that the universe is expanding, provide insight...(View More) into how this idea was reached, and inform students about the nature of our universe. This lesson is part of the Cosmic Times teacher's guide and is intended to be used in conjunction with the 1929 Cosmic Times Poster.(View Less)

This activity is an assessment activity that allows you and your students to see what they know and understand about Earth's place in the solar system and universe. Used both before and after a unit of astronomy instruction, it can make student...(View More) learning visible in a compelling way. It can also be used to begin discussion about the nature of scientific models. This activity is part of a DVD that is a professional development resource for educators. Many new astronomy learners, students and adults alike, are unfamiliar with the universe beyond the solar system. Instructions for obtaining the DVD and registering for the professional development workshop are contained on the website.(View Less)

In this activity, students perform a version of the experiment of 1801, in which ultraviolet light was first discovered by Johann Wilhelm Ritter. This experiment should be conducted outdoors on a sunny day - variable cloud conditions, such as patchy...(View More) cumulus clouds or heavy haze will diminish your results. This activity requires advance preparation and special materials (e.g., glass prism, blueprint paper, household ammonia).(View Less)

This is a lesson about representative sampling. When given parts of the Hubble Deep Field image, learners will count the number of galaxies in one sample section of the image. Then, they will calculate how many galaxies there are in each whole image...(View More) and how many objects the Hubble Space Telescope could see in the entire Universe. This is Actividad 8.6 as part of El Universo a Sus Pies, a Spanish-language curriculum available for purchase.(View Less)

This is a lesson about representative sampling. When given parts of the Hubble Deep Field image, learners will count the number of galaxies in one sample section of the image. Then, they will calculate how many galaxies there are in each whole image...(View More) and how many objects the Hubble Space Telescope could see in the entire Universe. This is Activity H-6 of Universe at Your Fingertips 2.0: A Collection of Activities and Resources for Teaching Astronomy DVD-ROM, which is available for purchase.(View Less)

In this activity, learners practice estimation skills as they begin to explore the Hubble Deep Field image. They first give a rough estimate of the number of objects and then follow several steps, using representative sampling techniques, to improve...(View More) upon their original estimates. Finally, learners calculate the number of similar objects in the universe based on their estimate. This is activity one of four in the Hubble Deep Field Lesson Package which includes color lithographs, student worksheets, background information, a glossary, as well as national science education standards. Request a paper copy of the HDF package through the "contact us" page of Amazing Space - be sure to include your mailing address.(View Less)

This is an activity about communication. Starting first with the message attached to the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft, learners explore what might be put into a message to a presumed intelligent being who does not understand our language, symbols,...(View More) culture, or how we exist. From this analysis, they decode a simulated message from space. This is Actividad 9.2 as part of El Universo a Sus Pies, a Spanish-language curriculum, available for purchase.(View Less)

This is an activity about cultural references to astronomy. Learners will create a list of products that have been named after astronomical objects, which the class discusses. As a homework project, they can search local stores or media for...(View More) additional astronomical references. This is Actividad 13.2 as part of El Universo a Sus Pies, a Spanish-language curriculum, available for purchase.(View Less)